Everyone spends money frivolously on occasion, and we are no exception. We haven’t been very good with our extra cash lately. It seems like we are down to a few dollars in our checking account at the end of every pay period. We usually have about $5 left to spare! Looking back over the past few months, I have noticed some trends with our spending. These are the top 5 ways we have wasted money in 2021.
Streaming Services
We currently have three streaming services – Hulu, Netflix, and DisneyPlus. Last year we had only one service – Hulu w/ads for $6.99 per month. Now we are paying $12 for Netflix, $2 for Hulu (we got a deal on Black Friday), and $7 for DisneyPlus. That is $21 per month, which is three times as much as we paid for streaming last year.
Soda
I have been indulging in excessive amounts of soda for the last few months. This is a bad habit, which isn’t good for my health or my finances. Cutting back on my soda consumption is an issue I’ll be working on in the coming months.
Eating Out
We don’t normally go out to eat very often. However, we always celebrate birthdays and anniversaries with food. Unfortunately, we have a lot of milestones at the beginning of the year. We’ve eaten out 5 times in the past month! Yikes!
Home Improvements Projects
As I mentioned last week, I can’t seem to stop doing home renovations. This isn’t really a waste of money per say (some of these projects could increase the value of our home), but many of my projects are definitely more about aesthetics than function. Home improvement projects make my heart happy, but my wallet sad.
Grocery Shopping
A few years ago, John and I stopped shopping at Whole Foods. We switched to Aldi and were shocked by how much money we saved. But lately, it seems like our grocery bills are creeping higher and higher. I think part of the problem stems from the number of stores we now visit. We go to Aldi, a local grocery store, Walmart, and Target. It all adds up, and we’ve been going way over the $300 budget we set for ourselves.
I hope you are taking notes, and learning from our mistakes. In the coming months, I would like to get these areas under control and start saving even more money. How about you? What are the top five ways you have wasted money in 2021?